Education &
Research
We work with a variety of community and educational organisations for all age groups and abilities providing both off-site visits and on-site activities and workshops.
Our offsite work can be done at a wide range of settings with a selection of our owls and other animals. We can tailor our time with your group to meet your specific requirements be that a current curriculum topic or just curiosity about owls & other animals.
Groups catered for include:
- Educational establishments (schools, colleges, universities, childminders, home education groups, preschools etc.)
- Care homes and other residential settings
- Youth groups (scouts, brownies etc.)
- Community groups (WI, Over 60s, church groups etc.)
- Hotels & holiday parks
- Private individuals (e.g. birthday parties and weddings etc.)
For those organisations wishing to bring a group to visit us we can offer a range of demonstrations and activities to tie in with the topics/subject matter being studied, from reading Meerkat Mail to studying animal management and welfare or just a curiosity for conservation.
We understand that every group is unique, and we are happy to work with teachers or group leaders to adapt the visit to meet your specific requirements. We will agree a program of activities for your group ahead of your visit.
Educational Visits can be arranged at any time of the year. Fees are calculated per event and depend on the location and duration of the visit. Please contact us for more information.
SEND Visits
We are proud to be able to offer a relaxed and quite space for visits by individuals with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Early doors & out of hours visits can be arranged with advance notice as well as visits in our winter season that provide a supportive, comfortable & engaging environment.
Educational Placements
We are committed to providing young people with invaluable opportunities to learn about our birds of prey and other animals as part of their educational studies. We offer opportunities for people on a range of courses to spend time at the Sanctuary.
Opportunities include:
- Animal Husbandry Extra Mural Studies (AHEMS)
- University Placements
- College Work Experience Hours
- School Work Experience Weeks
Regrettably, due to our size and age-related health and safety considerations, we are unable to offer Duke of Edinburgh Award placements.
Research
The Sanctuary is not large enough to have it’s own programme or facilities, but has supported several individuals with their post-graduate and graduate research projects, for example:
- Paula Cardozo (University of Bogata, Columbia) – MSc project on owl evolution & adaptations.
- Katie Kilgallon (University of Swansea) – dissertation on captive meerkat welfare and breeding.
- Jack Goldring (University of Plymouth) – BSc review of environmental management of our pond area.
- Stephen Farmer (University of Gloucestershire) – BSc dissertation on Rewilding in Cornwall.
- Professor Emma Jenkins (Director of IMSET/ Associate Prof in Archaeology at the University of Bournemouth) – provision of mustelid scats for research.
We have also provided
- Meerkat data to several research projects
- Feathers for DNA investigation into the diversity of owl species
- Hospital records for statistical review of rehabilitation success rates
- Ringing of all wild birds released after rehabilitation to assist the British Trust for Ornithology in their research and understanding of wild owl populations and rehabilitation success rates.
We are always prepared to offer our site, resources and time to support third-party research projects. If you have something suitable in mind, please get in touch with us.